Thorpe`s In, Watson`s Out At Tucson

Jim Thorpe, the leading money-winner remaining in the Tucson Match Play Championship, used two quick birdies on the back nine Saturday to seal a 6-and-5 quarterfinal victory over Mark Wiebe.

Wiebe bogeyed the first hole to give Thorpe the early lead. Thorpe birdied Nos. 3 and 7, then took advantage of a bogey by Wiebe on the par-4 ninth hole to take a four-hole lead into the back nine.

``You can tell within the first couple of shots whether a man is on his game or not,`` Thorpe said. ``I could tell he wasn`t really on.``

Defending champion Tom Watson dropped a 1-up decision to Mac O`Grady. Watson fell behind by three holes at the end of the front nine, but had a chance to send it into extra holes on No. 18. He missed a 20-foot birdie, and O`Grady drained a 12-footer for par.

Thorpe and O`Grady will play Bob Tway and Jack Renner in the semifinals. Tway won 6-and-5 over Danny Edwards. Renner won 4-and-3 over Philip Blackmar. 11 and 13.

Matthews takes his shots

Wes Matthews thinks the Bulls goofed.

``They`re looking like a bunch of fools right now,`` said Matthews, a starting guard last season who was released by the Bulls over the summer.

``I`m on a mission to teach them they were wrong and show people how stupid they were for letting me go.``

In the San Antonio Spurs` last three preseason games, Matthews averaged 38 minutes, 22.3 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds and 3.3 steals a game and shot 60 percent.

Why did the Bulls let him go?

``We were afraid he might be a disruptive influence on the team,`` said Jerry Krause, Bulls` vice president of operations. ``The coach (Stan Albeck)

didn`t want him, I didn`t want him, nobody in the whole organization wanted him. We felt he wasn`t a good shooter. When Stan played against him last year at New Jersey, he gave Wes the jumper all the time.

``He can talk all he wants, he still can`t shoot. The percentages have proven through the years he still can`t shoot the ball.``

Illinois-Chicago wins

Scott Knutson`s goal 13:49 into the second period helped Illinois-Chicago to a 4-3 victory over Western Michigan at the Pavilion. UIC trailed 2-1 in the first period, then scored three unanswered goals. Scott Shoffstall had UIC`s first goal with Jeff Nelson and Mike Rucinski each adding a goal and an assist. UIC is 2-4 overall and 2-4 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Western Michigan is 4-2, 2-2.

Flex-time earnings

Lee Haney of Spartanburg, S.C., beat 23 other professional body-builders in Brussels to keep his Mr. Olympia title. Haney won $50,000.

Marathon Aid

Some 19,000 runners representing 74 countries will run Sunday`s New York Marathon. For 75 of them, members of World Runners, every mile helps feed starving people. ``What we have done is taken a recreational activity and given it meaning by using it for a good purpose,`` said Michael Steuerman, vice president of World Runners International Foundation. ``People find that very inspiring.`` World Runners is a nonprofit network of 11,000 spanning four continents and 35 countries. Members solicit pledges for the miles they run, and the money is donated to organizations that fight hunger. Last year the New York chapter raised nearly $35,000.

Skillful young blade

Caryn Kadavy of the U.S., in her first international competition, won the women`s singles title at the Skate Canada figure skating competition. Eketerina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov of the Soviet Union took the pairs championship. Kadavy is 17.

Lendl pouts, then wins

Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovkia, penalized a point for throwing his racket, recovered to overpower West Germany`s Boris Becker 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) and reach the final of the $375,000 Grand Prix tennis tournament in Tokyo. Lendl will face Mats Wilander of Sweden, who won his semifinal by default when Jimmy Connors retired with a back injury. Lendl`s outburst occurred in the seventh game of the second set. He was distracted by music filtering into the stadium and drew warnings for slamming his racket. Lendl lost his serve and stormed to his seat, throwing his racket. Lendl managed to hang onto his serve.

``Sometimes I play really well when I get upset and sometimes I play really bad,`` Lendl said. ``Today I was lucky.``